D. Antão Vaz de Almada (c. 1573 – 17 December 1644) is a Portuguese national hero due to his involvement in the Restoration of Independence in 1640, as one of the

Forty Conspirators The Forty Conspirators (Portuguese: ''Os Conjurados'') were a Portuguese nationalist group during the Iberian Union. The Conspirators were composed of forty men of the Portuguese nobility, and many clergy and soldiers. Their goal was to depo ...

. During the ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

'', he was responsible for the arrest of the

Duchess of Mantua Lady of Mantua House of Gonzaga, 1328–1433 Marchioness of Mantua House of Gonzaga, 1433–1530 Duchess of Mantua House of Gonzaga, 1530–1627 House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates ...

, then the Vicereine of Portugal. In 1641-42, he was sent as ambassador to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to secure the recognition of Portugal's independence abroad.«Genealogias das Famílias de Portugal», por Afonso Torres e continuada por Luís Vieira da Silva, capitulo dos Almadas, ano de 1694 Antão de Almada was the 7th holder of the title of

Count of Avranches This is a list of the counts of Avranches, a French fief in the Middle Ages. House of Almada *1445–1449 Álvaro Vaz de Almada, 1st Count of Avranches, Order of the Garter, KG (created by Henry VI of England); Avranches was lost to France s ...

by virtue of inheritance under the

salic law The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old Du ...

, even though he did not make use of it.

References

{{Reflist 1570s births 1644 deaths Ambassadors of Portugal to the Kingdom of England Commanders of the Order of Christ (Portugal) 17th-century Portuguese military personnel Portuguese military commanders of the Portuguese Restoration War Portuguese nobility